Jeff Francis, likely Rockies starter Saturday, knows he must make most of chance

Posted By Patrick Saunders On June 7, 2013 @ 4:39 pm In Game Day,General Rockies,Injuries,Pitcher,Rockies on Deck | No Comments

Rockies left-hander Jeff Francis is slated to come off the disabled list and start Saturday’s game for the Rockies. (Denver Post file photo)

The move won’t be officially announced until Saturday, but lefty Jeff Francis will very likely come off the disabled list and start Saturday’s game against the Padres. He’ll replace young, hard-throwing right-hander Tyler Chatwood, who’ll miss the start because of a sore triceps.

Chatwood — along with Jorge De La Rosa, who starts Friday night’s game — has been one of the Rockies’ best pitchers. Chatwood’s spot in the rotation is set when he returns, which could be as soon as next Friday. Meanwhile, veteran right-hander and three-time Roy Oswalt is tuning up in Double-A, and will likely join the big-league club within the next 10 days.

That means the 32-year Francis could very well be odd man out. The veteran fully understands the situation, but he’s not counting himself out yet.

“I think I can help this team, and I think I can do a lot of things,” he said. “But I know that the reality of baseball is that if you don’t do them enough, then your time runs out. I have another chance here and I intend to make the most of it.”

Francis is 2-3 with a 6.00 ERA, but his last start was very good. Pitching in Chicago against the Cubs, he threw six innings, allowing one run on three hits, striking out seven and walking just one. But that was also the game in which he strained his groin and landed on the DL.

Typical of the approach that has personified his whole career, Francis is taking a measured approach to the situation, and to Saturday’s game.

“I have to do what I can do; control what I can control,” Francis said. “I have to go out and pitch the best I can. It’s just like when I go out there in a game and pitch, I pitch until they come out and get me.”

Francis said he’s completely healthy and feels good after his last rehab start with Triple-A Colorado Springs on Monday. He pitched just four innings, allowing three earned runs on six hits, striking out five and walking none. Francis also served up a two-run homer to Salt Lake’s Roberto Lopez to put the Sky Sox in a 5-2 hole.

“I missed on a few fastballs, but my curve and changeup were good,” he said. “My last bullpen was sharp, so my confidence is where it should be.”

Pregame notes of note:

* Outfielder Michael Cuddyer, who tumbled across first base in the 12th inning Thursday night, is out of the lineup Friday. Manager Walt Weiss said Cuddyer isn’t injured, just sore. Cuddyer is available for pinch-hit duty Friday night.

“He’s one of those guys who is always going full tilt,” Weiss said. “He runs into things and over things. He’s just sore, nothing serious or anything, we just decided to give him a day.”

* Both Dexter Fowler and Eric Young Jr. are in the lineup Friday night. Typically, Young leads off in that scenario, with Fowler hitting second. Weiss flip-flopped them for Friday’s game.

“I flipped them today,” Weiss said. “There are some possibilities with EY in the two hole, some things he can do that I like.”

Weiss also acknowledged that batting Young second will allow him to see more fastballs and be a more effective hitter.

Fowler is back in the lineup after suffering the first migraine headache of his life. The spotty vision, dizziness and nausea kept him from playing Thursday. Though not 100 percent, he was feeling much better Friday afternoon.

But Fowler said his first run-in with a migraine floored him.

“Every time I put my head down, I thought I was going to pass out,” said Fowler, who received a shot in the stomach to help relieve the symptoms. “This was my first migraine. I was looking at my phone and I felt like I was going blind. I went home and feel asleep and woke up with a terrible headache.”

* Closer Rafael Betancourt, on the disabled list with a right groin strain, is eligible to be reinstated from the DL on June 16, but he acknowledge Friday that he will be out longer than that, possibly not returning until the end of June. He had two shots this week, the latest on Friday, in hopes that medication would calm the pain and inflammation.

He’s played some light catch, but is not close to getting back on mound. He’ll begin exercising in the pool on Monday and take it from there.

“I pitched with (the groin injury) for about five weeks and it hurt the day after every time I pitched,” he said. “So, if it takes three or four weeks to get it right, I will take that. I don’t want to be out for two months.”

Lefty Rex Brothers has taken over the closer role in Betancourt’s absence.